Making your own Homemade Corn Bread Mix...no more pricey prepackaged stuff!!

Convenience is a BIG thing!  But typically it comes at a cost.  I am a BIG fan of making my own dry mixes.  They save me time AND money…not to mention they are healthier!! 

My family loves corn bread & corn muffins!  I used to buy the packages when we 1^st got married…but found a “mix” recipe that I LOVE and have never gone back to the grocery store prepackaged ones.  This mix produces FLUFFY and light corn bread and muffins.  Try them!  You won’t be sorry!

1^st you make the DRY mix…and store it in an airtight container.

Corn Bread Basic Dry Mix

I store my dry mix in a #10 in the cupboard...

This is what the dry mix looks like.  Can you see the resemblance to the prepackaged stuff at the grocery store?

4 c. all-purpose flour
4 c. yellow cornmeal
2 c. instant dry milk
2/3 c. sugar
4 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking soda

When you desire corn bread or muffins…here are the additional WET ingredients to add to the dry mix.

Corn Bread  (makes 6 muffins)

1 egg, beaten (or 1 Tbsp. dehydrated egg + 1/8 c. water)

2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 c. water
1 1/4 c. Corn bread mix

1.    Preheat oven to 425 F.

2.    Butter a 5 “x 3” pan.

3.    Wisk together all wet ingredients. 

4.    Slowly add “mix” and stir until moistened.

5.    Bake 20-25 min.

a.    (Muffins bake 15 min.)

 Happy Stretching Pennies...

TIME is MONEY: Freezing Tastier Hamburger Patties for less than prepackaged ones!!

When ground beef goes on sale, I REALLY go nuts with preparing things for the freezer to save time and money!  As I said in my last post, Savemart had ground beef on sale for $1.69 a pound.  I decided I was sick of the premade pre-frozen hamburger patties…and decided to see if I could make my own.

I tried some recipes from www.ourbestbites.com  and froze them.  I couldn’t have been more pleased!! 

My favorites:
Samburger
Southwest Chipotle Burgers

1.       I followed the above recipes. 

2.       Prepared a cookie sheet with saran wrap.

3.       I wore plastic gloves, since I was going to be up to my elbows in meat for a while.  I scooped up a handful of prepared meat (about the size of a baseball) and made it into a nice ball…and the squished it.  I made the hamburger patties bigger than the anticipated buns…preparing for them to shrink on the grill. 

4.       I placed them on the plastic wrap and dabbed the edges until looked like a nice circle.

5.       Place them in the freezer to “flash freeze” for an hour or two.

6.       Remove from the freezer.  Spread out saran wrap, enough for 3 hamburgers.  Place 3 evenly across.  Fold the top half over the hamburgers, and roll them up.

A picture after I froze them and before I packaged them for storage.

I took these out of my freezer for this picture.

7.       Place in a labeled Ziplock baggie and place in the freezer. 

This is my SMALL bag of burgers....just READY-to-be grilled!

8.       Prepare just as you would the pre-frozen ones from the grocery store.  (Place the frozen patty directly onto hot grill and cook!!)

Happy Stretching Pennies...

TIME is MONEY: Preparing Meatballs in BULK can save you money AND time!!

Preparing your ground beef in bulk does NOT need to end with plain crumbled ground beef!!   There are so many varieties to enjoy!
Consider making meatballs in bulk too!  Whether you are making them for spaghetti sauce OR stews, you will find it will save you time and energy!!

A couple of months ago, Savemart had a GREAT sale on hamburger at $1.69 a pound.  I went on a cooking binge and my life has been simplified because of it.  In one afternoon, my family’s meatballs needs were met for over 6 months!!   My freezer is FULL of all sorts of things already prepared and ready to go. 

When I typed my “Bulk” recipe for meatballs, it seemed overwhelming…so I thought I would post the “regular” recipe 1^st.    Even using the “regular” recipe gives me extra meatballs for the freezer…so don’t think you need to do “bulk” recipe.  Make it the size of how much ground beef you purchased!

Regular Recipe Meatballs
1 lb. ground beef

½ c. soft or ¼ c. dry bread crumbs

1 egg
2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

1.       Heat oven 400 F.

2.       Large bowl combine all ingredients, mixing lightly but thoroughly.

3.       Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil

4.       Pinch off approx 1 inch pieces of beef mixture to make 30 meatballs.

5.       Bake 10-13 min. or until centers are no longer pink. 

BULK  Meatballs

5 lb. ground beef

2 ½ c. soft OR 1 ¼ c. dry bread crumbs

5 eggs

10 Tbsp. finely chopped onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 ½ salt

½ tsp. + 1/8 tsp. pepper

1.       Heat oven 400 F.

2.       Large bowl combine all ingredients, mixing lightly but thoroughly.

3.       Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil. 

4.       Pinch off approx 1 inch pieces of beef mixture to make meatballs.

 5.      Bake 10-13 min. or until centers are no longer pink. 

6.    Remove from pan with a fork and put into a bowl.  When meatballs are to desired amount, dump into labeled freezer ziplock baggies. 

  

7.  Clean up couldn't be EASIER!  Just roll up the aluminum foil...and throw it away.         

 

8.   Your next Stew or Spaghetti Sauce recipe is simplified beyond belief!!   

Happy Pinching Pennies...

TIME is MONEY: Cooking Ground Beef in BULK can be FAST & EASY!!

Time is a precious commodity.  The older my children get, the less time I seem to have.  I am always on the lookout for ways to be more efficient, it almost seems to give me MORE time in my day.  I’ve also learned that being efficient is a frugal way to live.  I spend less on food and/or products.

When I a young adult, prior to marriage and directly after, I found myself talking to my uncle who was a well-to-do stockbroker.  He was on many boards and managed millions of dollars.  (As a child it was interesting to talk with him.... and as an adult, it has become even more interesting!)  On the few occasions we talk about money, it is very apparent that we couldn’t be further apart on the budget spectrum.  My budget is pittance compared to his; he works with SO much more.  Yet, even during these conversations, I have learned so much about weighing what is worth spending the time to save money and what is not.   I plan on posting more ideas on time efficiency because I truly believe it a valuable thing.

I was recently at a “women’s education meeting” at church.  That month’s topic was on cooking meals in BULK.  This is something that I already do—but I was hoping to learn something new.  I was not disappointed.  The new trick is so fabulous, that I had to share.  It has saved not only time, but effort as well.

Buying meat in bulk, when it is on sale, can save you hundreds of dollars!!  (Meat is one of the most pricy items of your food budget!!)  I have always bought lots of meat when it is on sale and froze it for a later meal.  However in the last year, I have learned how much TIME I can save by cooking it in bulk as well.  Until this “women’s education meeting” I had been buying my ground beef and cooking all of it in a skillet on the range.  It was a long drawn out process that DID save me time over the long run….BUT I learned a new trick that required LESS effort to cook all that ground beef that I have been using for the last 6 months!! 

      What do you DO with all that precooked  crumbled ground beef?

1)      Taco meat for tacos/soups/ or anything requiring ground beef!!

2)      Sloppy Joes

3)      Beef Taquitos

HOW do you EASILY cook the ground beef?

1)      Purchase at least 5 lb. (or MORE) hamburger

2)      Preheat oven to 350 F

3)      Break into ping pong ball size LUMPS in a large glass casserole dish.  (You can add chopped onions & garlic if you desire)

4)      Cover with aluminum foil

5)      Bake at 350 F for approximately 35-45 minutes OR 400 F for approximately 35 min.
6)      Pull the pan out and DRAIN OFF the fatty liquid.  Rinse off meat.

What the ground beef looks like when you remove the aluminum foil after baking!

Make sure to drain off the fatty fluid to make your meals healthier...and that slight "sludgy" stuff!! (in the left corner of the picture)

The final product:  COOKED & drained ground beef....ready for your next meal to THROW in at your convenience!

7)      Using a potato masher or slotted spoon break up the hamburger.  If it is still a bit pink—put it back in the oven for 10 minutes or so.
8)      Use what meat you need for the current recipe, and bag the rest separately (for individual FUTURE meals) into Ziplock baggies.
9)      Squeeze out air.  Seal.
10)   Flatten out on counter.  Freeze flat.  When it is frozen, it stacks like books in your freezer.
11)   When it is time to use:  DEFOST: 45 seconds in the microwave.  Flip.  Microwave 45 seconds more.  Flip.  Microwave 30 seconds and use in your desired recipe.

Happy Stretching Pennies...

Couscous: Another Inexpensive Ingredient to Stretch Your Food Budget!

Several months ago, our family was treated to a French “fine dining” experience.  It was exquisite!  On that particular night, we were served couscous as a side dish.  My family adored it AND they loved saying it!!

This week I was trying a new salmon recipe and they suggested serving couscous as a side dish.  I decided to go out on a limb and try cooking it.  (I have to admit it helped knowing what it was supposed to look and taste like in order to give me the courage to try it.)  I didn’t want to buy too much in case it didn’t go well, so I went to Winco and bought a small bag’s worth in their bulk section.  I was surprised to learn how inexpensive it was!!  Since I wasn’t familiar with HOW to cook it, I looked it up on www.allrecipes.com and scrolled through their recipes until I came across one where I already had the spices at home.  After reading the instructions, I was struck at how ridiculously EASY and FAST it was to prepare!!

This is my small bag of UNCOOKED Couscous....It more than doubles in size later!
(Its a bit like rice, but in the shape of little balls)
Basically add spices to the water.  Boil.  Add couscous and remove from heat and wait 5 minutes.  Easy huh?

The more I thought about it, each cultural ethnic group seems to have their own inexpensive ingredients that can be made into hundreds of exquisite dishes!!  IF I were to incorporate all the different kinds of inexpensive ways to cook from lots of different cultures—not only would we have a lot of variety in our diet, but our cultural awareness would grow!!

In one of my favorite organizational books of all time, “Confessions of an Organized Housewife” by Denise Schofield she has a section on meal planning and preparation.   I have found her advice to be true and I have adopted it as MY philosophy. 

Meals should fulfill 4 goals:

1.       Nutritious
2.       Fit into an established budget
3.       Please the family
4.       Fit into your time & energy limits

This idea of inexpensive ingredients can go a long way into stretching a food budget.  I use rice, beans, potatoes, bread, and pasta as “fillers”.  In other words, I use these inexpensive ingredients in combination with other things, so that the more expensive items will go farther and last longer!!

Back to this culturally diverse idea….I know there are plenty of cultures out there that I don’t know much about--particularly about their food.  Here's a list to get your thoughts stewing.  So this is NOT an exhaustive list.  It is more like the tip of the iceberg of possibilities.

·         Italy-- pasta & bread

·         Ireland-- Potatoes

·         France-- Couscous

·         Oriental—Rice

·         Hispanic—Rice & Beans

I personally have a large collection of recipes using rice, beans, potatoes, and pasta….I am excited to add couscous to the list of inexpensive ingredients to make thousands of dishes.  I wonder how many different ways there are to cook it….

I wonder what other cultures use for inexpensive dishes….I’ve noticed there have been a few people from other countries look at my blog.  I am really hoping they will leave a comment or two.  I would love to learn more!!

Happy stretching pennies...

Preschool for FREE...OR on a budget

Preschool can be expensive.  A friend of mine went “hunting” for a preschool for her son for this next school year.  I was amazed at the monthly rates she encountered.  They ranged from $145-$250. WOW!!

 There are other options. 

1.       Check to see if you are zoned for an Even Start Preschool OR Early Childhood Development Preschool.  They are typically free.  (We have 2 of these in our town.)  My 2 older children attended these programs and I was really impressed with what they did. 

2.       If your district doesn’t have a free Early Childhood Development program in your neighborhood, consider checking out an “Early childhood Development Center” for your entire city.  There are 2 ways to get into this type of program.  Most of their students are where the kids are behind their peers in 2 areas such as emotional, physical or speech.  They are required to have a peer model for every so many students.  A “peer model” is a child who is above average for their peer group, particularly in speech.  Before they will accept a peer model, they will TEST your child to see if they are an eligible candidate.  In our town, the program is superb and those spots are quickly filled.  A friend of mine, whose child is in the program, is a big fan.  They even have picked up her children on the preschool school bus to bring them to preschool.

3.       If these first 2 options do not fit your needs, or interests…consider starting a “Fun School” with your friends.

My 3^rd child is my only child at home now and I felt strongly that he needed MORE academic and social interaction.  I had been working on things with him individually, but I really felt like he needed to have a classroom-like setting to learn with his peers.  Last summer, I started inquiring which of my friends were interested in creating a “Fun School”.  I wanted to have stability or routines in my own life….so I was looking for people who were OK with an “assigned day”.  I feel lucky that I had 2 friends who were totally on board with the weekly assigned day for preschool at their house—with the mother being the teacher for that day.  I truly have enjoyed teaching the boys their alphabet (and sounds of the letters), #’s, colors, and basic science principals.

 I’ll be honest and say that I attempted doing a “Fun School” with my daughter 5 years ago for the year before she started the Early Development Preschool.  It was intimidating and I felt inadequate.  I didn’t have the resources and I had SO much going on in my personal life that researching for a weekly lesson was too much for me.  (My husband was in graduate school, while working full time and my newborn son had some MAJOR medical issues at the time.)  I ended up quitting the “Fun School” half way through the year, feeling terrible for backing out on my friends—even if it was the best situation for me.

Hindsight is always 20/20 and I wish I had had the resources I have now…back then.  Thus, this is the background for this post about these great resources that I use to put together my weekly preschool lesson.  It has made planning fun…and easy.

Here are my favorite PRESCHOOL websites:

www.everythingpreschool.com

www.preschoolpalace.org

www.coloringcastle.com

www.learningplanet.com

www.preschoolexpress.com

www.first-school.ws

www.schoolsparks.com

www.handwritingworksheets.com

www.kidslearningstation.com

Happy Stretching Pennies...AND educating your cute preschoolers!

Saving Money on your Sewer Bill...

My kids are responsible for rinsing and loading the dishwasher every night, alternating turns.  One evening, as my son was doing his job, my husband noticed the water was turned on pretty high.  He stopped my son to talk about conserving water and our water bill, to help him see the wisdom in the water resembling a “trickle” as he scrubbed the dishes before the dishwasher. 

Water Conservation: "The trickle"

This conversation went even further as he explained HOW the sewer bill is calculated in connection to the water bill.  (I love listening to my "math teacher" husband explain the practicality of math!!)

I found myself riveted, as I have wondered for years HOW they calculated that bill.  It was an “Ah-Ha” moment for me.

HOW is your sewer bill calculated?

This notice arrived on our water bill the month after this conversation took place....what great timing, huh?

In the winter, you are NOT in an “extra water consumption” mode….such as watering lawns, gardens, washing your car or house, using slip & slides, filling kiddie pools, or having your kids run through the sprinklers.  In the winter, you are in a “basic water needs” usage time.  So for a certain chunk of time in the winter they are measuring your water usage that comes out of your faucet.   (For showers, cooking, toilet needs, washing hands, and laundry.)  So when winter is done, they have a pretty accurate idea of how much water is actually going down the drain heading off to the sewer!!  The charge of this calculation is reflected on your bill throughout the year.

So those extra long WARM showers that I am inclined to take in the winter, will just end up costing more ALL year long!!  (This information, in the back of my mind, helps keep that “simple pleasure” under control-- beyond the cost of electricity to heat the water!!)

Happy Stretching Pennies….